Abu Ali, a 45-year-old owner of a tunnel which was dug under the border between Gaza Strip town of Rafah and Egypt, several months ago, said he was lucky to find his tunnel is still working, after intensive Israeli F-16 warplanes strikes on the border line during 22 days of Israeli military offensive on the enclave that ended on Sunday.

"After the war was over, I went to check my tunnel, and I found it completely destroyed," said Abu Alli, a resident of Rafah. His tunnel was used for pumping fuels from Egypt into Gaza. "But I was surprised to find a piece of a plastic hose was coming out from the destroyed tunnel."

"I telephoned my partner at the Egyptian side and I asked him to try test and pump fuels, he tried and it worked. I spent the past three days just renovating what had been destroyed and now I'm back pumping fuel," said Abu Ali, who declined to give his real name.

Israel had imposed a tight blockade on Gaza Strip after Hamas movement took control of the enclave and routed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas security forces and cracked down on his Fatah movement in June 2007.

During the period of the tight Israeli blockade, the Palestinians dug over 1,000 tunnels under the border between Rafahand Egypt. Israel hasn't been allowing fuels and all kinds of products and raw-materials into Gaza, where many kinds of those products were brought from Egypt through the tunnels.

"We dug tunnels because we have no other alternative. Israel was imposing a very tough blockade on Gaza Strip and the tunnels were the smartest way to defeat this blockade," said Hashem Abu Jazzar, a 23-year-old worker.

During the 22-day Israeli air and ground military offensive on Gaza Strip that ended up on Sunday, Israeli F-16 warplanes fired hundreds of bombs and rockets at the tunnels area on the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Israeli military officials said that over 80 percent of the tunnels were destroyed, adding that they didn't manage to destroyed the tunnels 100 percent. Israel says that those tunnels were used to smuggle weapons to fight against it.

Abu Jazzar said that the Israeli army was using a so powerful kind of bombs in striking the tunnels area, adding that the bombs have the ability to penetrate under ground and cause underground vibration for few seconds.

"Every bomb was fired at the area on the border, we were felling that the whole ground was shaking as if there was an earthquake hitting the area. Israel hasn't only targeted tunnels, but also houses near the borders," said Abu Jazzar.

The main road that links northern Gaza Strip enclave with its south is called Sallah el-Dein road. It ends up into Rafah town right at the fence of the border with Egypt, where there is a gate called Sallah el-Dein gate.

Owners of the tunnels said the tunnels had been dug underground east and west of Sallah el-Dein gate. They added that 90 percent of the tunnels in the area east of the gate up to Rafah border crossing were destroyed, while 50 percent of tunnels in the area west of the gate were destroyed.

Several tunnels are still operating, where as soon as the offensive was over, the tunnel owners re-operated the tunnels and resumed bringing fuels, cigarettes, soft drinks, chocolates and electric engines.

"As long as Israel is still imposing the siege on Gaza Strip, I don't think that we will stop working in the tunnels, but if all crossings are fully and permanently opened, I believe that working in tunnels will automatically stop," said Abu Jabal, a 45-year-oldowner of a tunnel.

Another Palestinian tunnel owner calling himself as Abu El-Baraa said that he and his brother own two tunnels, adding that his tunnel was slightly damaged and he renovated it. "But my brother's tunnel was completely destroyed."

"We will dig another tunnel whatever the cost is. As long as Israel keeps the siege imposed on Gaza Strip, we will continue working, and the Israeli claim that we are smuggling tunnels were untrue," said Abu el-Baraa.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2009)